Roberto Lattanzi

This paper addresses the compatibility between personal data protection rights and the measures, in particular those of a technological nature, currently being introduced in order to safeguard intellectual property within the framework of electronic communications networks, with particular regard to the so-called file sharing. In the light of the innovations brought about in the supranational regulatory context, the Italian legal system also authorises the adoption of technical and organisational measures aimed at collecting copyright royalties, which may include technical protection measures and digital rights management information, in order to enable monitoring and identification of the works that are exploited as well as of the respective rightholders. However, such measures may not give rise to processing of personal data in breach of the lawfulness, data minimisation, purpose specification, and proportionality principles set forth in legislative decree no. 196/2003, or be in conflict with the applicable legislation relating to retention of so-called traffic data.